Chemical product design: Advances in and proposed directions for research and teaching

Abstract

After its launch at the turn of the millennium, integrated product and process design has gradually taken root in research and teaching within chemical and biological engineering. The transition from primarily process design in which the product is relatively well defined to include product design where the product has yet to be identified is driven by economics and the need to innovate. With globalization, any product that can be made by multiple producers would eventually exert enormous financial pressure on all these producers to lower product price, resulting in squeezed profit margin. The only way for a company to survive and prosper is to invent innovative products that can be manufactured sustainably. Also, with the rapid advances in computer technology, emergence of new business models, and requirements in social responsibility and sustainability, a chemical engineer should, and is well positioned to, contribute to the entire product life cycle. This article identifies the technical and non-technical issues and/or problems in integrated product and process design, the relationships among which are captured in a Grand Product Design Model. The methods and/or techniques and computer aided tools for the design, analysis, and development of molecular products, formulated products, functional products, and devices are discussed. Many of these recent developments have been included in teaching product and process design to prepare the new generation of chemical engineers. Possible future developments are also identified.